2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV buying guide

A data-driven checklist for buying a used 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, built from 341 owner complaints, 4 recall campaigns, 1,054 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.

Know before you buy

4 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
Main problem areas: steering (119), electrical system (114), fuel/propulsion system (70), power train (27), service brakes (22).
Symptoms owners describe: stalling (15), clunking / rattling (8), loss of power (7), steering problems (5). Test-drive with these in mind.
Reported incident mileage: among 74 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 6,675 and 40,945 miles (median 23,350). This describes when owners reported problems — it does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop one.
2 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.
Fuel economy: 119 MPG combined (EPA).

When problems get reported

Reported incident mileage among 74 complaints with usable odometer readings.

under 20k		33
20–40k		20
40–60k		11
60–80k		7
80–100k		3
100–150k		0
150k+		0

Before you hand over money

Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.

This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.